


The Nightmares Can't be Found

by TongueTiedRaven



Series: 12 Days of Prompts [8]
Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Boyfriends, Boys In Love, Christmas Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, Nightmares, Watching Movies, comforting after nightmare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28186362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TongueTiedRaven/pseuds/TongueTiedRaven
Summary: Bon woke up from another nightmare and resigned himself to an anxious night without sleep.Thankfully, his boyfriend has other plans. After all, who doesn't love a good holiday movie?
Relationships: Okumura Rin/Suguro "Bon" Ryuuji
Series: 12 Days of Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047784
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59





	The Nightmares Can't be Found

**Author's Note:**

> Today's prompt is Holiday Movies

Bon _hated_ having something against his throat. It hadn’t been a problem until it was a problem. Which, yeah, that was the way with most things, but the problem was because he’d been choked not once, twice, or even three times. Nope. Bon had stopped counting after the fifth time in a year.

It was a thing now and Bon couldn’t even wear a scarf without getting a swell of anxiety.

That had been fun to explain to his mother. It was a good thing several of those demons had already been defeated because Torako Suguro would have shown them what fear was. 

Some nights, when he was tired and stressed, he’d dream of the hands on his throat and the burning eyes of a demon staring at him without anything like empathy. They wanted to watch him burn.

Other nights he’d dream of fire burning everything around him. It had always been blue flames but they’d shifted to something darker as he became Rin’s friend. 

And on different nights, it would be the poison of miasma choking him with every breath or the scream of the undead lumbering after him.

It was always something and it was always awful. He’d thrash around wildly, struggling against his blankets and his pillows until he finally wrenched himself awake.

Tonight was one of the nightmare nights. He should have expected it, honestly. Training was draining just by itself, training, exams, and fights? There was no way he wasn’t going to get a nightmare. 

It was a fantastic combo tonight. The zombies got him, strangling him as the flames consumed his allies. He couldn’t complete the verses and the pressure became too much. He struggled and tried to scream, tried to break free of the grasp only there wasn’t any way.

When he finally did wake up, it was to the sound of thunder and his own gasps. His chest was pounding with anxiety and he couldn't get any air in his lungs. He was seconds away from a nightmare induced panic attack. The terror followed him out of the dream and all the shadows around the room seemed menacing. Everyone always recommended breathing exercises to calm the fear waking up like this caused but Bon could never bring himself to hold his breath for too long. It was to similar to the hands on his throat.

Instead Bon rolled over on his side, sheets sticking to his sweaty skin, and mouthed the first mantra that popped in his head. It was almost always the one his dad would recite over the sacred flames and he’d bring that image to his mind until his heart stopped racing.

_Knock. Knock._

Bon’s eyes darted to the door in confusion. That was the moment he realized he wasn’t in his room.

Of course. The training. The abandoned dorm. Just like before. Easier to hide them all in that building than explain to any of the regular students what was going on.

He sat up and rubbed his hand across his face. “Who is it?” He saw his prayer beads on the desk and snatched them up. For safety.

“Rin.” Came the quiet reply. 

Bon huffed out a breath and dropped his hands on his knees. “Come on in.” The door clicked open and Rin’s head peered around the corner. His boyfriend surveyed the scene, eyes taking in the tossed sheets and the missing pillow. Bon had probably thrown it away in his sleep.

Rin knew about the nightmares and about what was in them. If Bon was honest, seeing Rin’s face made his heart settle a little. At least that part of the nightmare hadn't been real.

Rin slipped inside and shut the door. He had a laptop under his arm and a blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a cape. The ridiculousness of that suited Rin so well it made Bon’s chest hurt. Rin needed to speed up and get over here so Bon could hug him.

Rin padded slowly across the room and lowered himself next to Bon. Not close enough to touch yet. It was cautious in a way Rin typically wasn't.

“Sounded rough.” Rin murmured.

Bon grunted and didn’t think about hands on his throat and burning eyes. He’d rather think about blue eyes anyway.

“It was nothing.” He said as Rin unfastened the blanket from around his neck. 

Rin gave him an unimpressed look but didn’t say anything. He offered the corner of his blanket and Bon accepted it with a smile. It was soft and warm.

Rin scooted closer. “I’m not asking about it tonight.” 

“No?” Bon tucked his arm around Rin’s waist and hauled him close. He liked that Rin was careful after his nightmares but right now he wanted to feel him.

Rin shook his head and Bon felt his boyfriend’s tail slip around his own waist. "Nope. Nightmares shouldn't be talked about at night." He tugged Bon closer with his tail. "We can talk in the morning over mochi." The laptop was powered up as Rin snuggled against him.

“What are we watching?” Dating Rin had led Bon beyond asking what was going on and on to just accepting it. You could never explain Rin. You could just embrace it. 

“Well,” Rin hummed with a wiggle of his tail, “Christmas is only a week away.”

Bon was aware of that. He'd stressed long and hard over what to get his boyfriend. “And?”

Rin grinned in a bashful way that made Bon momentarily forget the demonic eyes and the phantom feeling of hands on his neck. 

“Holiday movies. Yukio and I used to stay up late before Christmas watching ‘em.” He shrugged, cheeks pink and gaze shy. “Watching movies always helps when I have a nightmare.”

Bon leaned back against the wall and tangled his hand with Rin’s. “Go on then.”

Rin selected a brightly colored movie and passed him an earbud of his headphones. Bon leaned closer to Rin so they could share comfortably and inhaled the scent of Rin’s hair. It was like a campfire. He used some wood based shampoo and the scent of fire hung around him naturally. Bon breathed it in and let his eyes slip shut. Memories of warmer days drifted through his mind. Rin leaning against him while they hung out in the gardens; Rin tugging on his hand and leading him into an impromptu dance; Rin falling asleep while they studied. Rin wild and unpredictable but warm and comforting too. 

The movie started with an extremely upbeat song that he didn’t really care about. It was enough to make him open his eyes again and see what was going on. Rin’s head was moving to the beat and his tail flicked cheerfully against Bon’s hip. It was the opposite of all the dark thoughts. This was real and the phantom fingers around his neck weren’t. This could be enough to distract him from all that. 

Well, not this movie. Rin though? Rin was more distracting than the dark thoughts.

Rin liked to play with his fingers when he was distracted. He ran his fingers around Bon’s and moved them around to the different rhythms. Rin didn’t ever seem to realize he did it either. He found himself watching Rin fidget with his fingers while the cheerful music thrummed through his earbud. 

The song ended and the dialogue started. Someone wasn’t feeling the Christmas spirit and everyone else was determined to help them find it. Rin was grinning and Bon’s lips quirked up when he started mouthing along to the lines. He’d apparently seen this before.

Bon wanted to kiss his silly face. 

Rin laughed at something in the movie that Bon hadn’t paid any attention to and tilted his head up to look at Bon. His smile froze as their eyes connected and Rin’s tail flicked up his back.

“Ryuuji?”

Bon didn’t answer. He caught Rin’s chin with his free hand and tilted it up so he could press a kiss to his boyfriend’s lips. It wasn’t a wildfire kiss-most of Rin’s kisses were like that, untamed and invigorating- it was something gentle. Almost like the warmth of a candle. Soft and steady, just enough to feel warm and certain. It was something that soothed Bon’s chest. He sighed when they broke apart and the nagging, phantom feeling of fingers on his neck faded away.

Rin kept his eyes closed for a moment longer-Bon wanted to kiss him again- before fluttering them open with a dazed expression.

“We,” Rin swallowed and squeezed Bon’s hand, “could do that instead.”

Bon hummed and pressed the quickest of kisses to Rin’s lips. “I think we can probably do both.” He pulled Rin closer and kissed his hair. Rin tilted his head against Bon’s shoulder and the top of his head brushed against Bon’s neck.

It didn’t bother him. Not when there was Christmas music and the scent of a campfire all around. He held onto Rin’s hand and closed his eyes as the characters gushed about the magic of Christmas. 

* * *

Bon woke up slowly and happily. He didn’t wake up to an alarm which meant Rin had probably turned it off at some point and he couldn’t be upset because Rin was laying on his chest with his arms wrapped around him. Their legs were tangled together and the blanket had gone who knew where in the night. The laptop had been set aside properly and Rin’s tail had coiled around his wrist.

Then Rin’s grip tightened and he inhaled deeply. His eyes opened properly and he glanced up at Bon with a sleepy smile.

“Mornin’ Ryu.”

Bon sucked in a breath because Rin was all messy hair and soft smiles and-shit-Bon was smitten.

“Mornin’.” He parroted back and tightened his arms around Rin. He didn’t remember falling asleep. What had they even watched?

Rin twisted around a little so he could look at Bon more easily. “Any more nightmares?”

Bon shook his head and moved one hand to brush Rin’s hair back. “Nope.” 

Rin’s tail uncoiled from his wrist and wagged through the air. “Told you Holiday Movies were the best.”

“Sure.” He couldn’t stop his ridiculous smile. “You did.”

Rin sat up. “We’ll have to do it again.”

Bon coaxed Rin closer. He wasn’t quite ready to lose the sleepy warmth yet. “We don’t have anywhere to be for a while.”

Rin pressed him back against the pillow and fetched the laptop with his tail. Apparently his boyfriend didn’t have plans for leaving anytime soon either.

Bon still couldn’t focus on the movie but Rin didn’t seem to mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from _What's This_ from The Nightmare Before Christmas because nightmares. *shrugs* it made me laugh.


End file.
